Mallorca has an average annual temperature of 21 degrees with the summer months going above 30. During spring and autumn when it’s the most popular time to cycle in Mallorca you can easily see temperatures around 25 degrees each day.
Getting the right hydration and nutrition for cycling in Mallorca really helps contribute to a better riding experience. If you start to get the dreaded ‘bonk’ half way up Sa Calobra it could be a challenging ride back to your finish destination.
As experienced cyclist who are based in Mallorca here are our top tips for hydration and nutrition.
Hydration
We always recommend to bring two water bottles (500ml-750ml). Your aim should be to drink a bottle every hour. This is generally a good rule of thumb to follow. If you are a heavy sweater and tend to see a lot of white/salty patches on your kit after a long hot day in the saddle It would be advisable to add an electrolyte tablet or energy sachet to one of your bottles to help replace those important minerals you have lost. When on the bike try to sip and drink regularly. As most of us know, if you are already thirsty then the dehydration process has already begun. A good reminder when to drink is when you see some else drinking. Makes for a good mental trigger to have a sip of your bottle.
Nutrition
Eating little and often on the bike is really important to keep the energy levels up. Sounds simple, but so many people forget to eat. Without going into the science of it too much, the longer you go without eating the deeper you will go into the muscles which will ultimately really start to cause stress on the body. This will also have a knock on effect for your cycling over the next couple days. We always recommend trying to eat wholesome food to start with, proper food. If you start with energy gels you are going to become sugar dependent very early on which will cause big highs and lows on your energy levels. Plus the body can only process a certain amount of sugar at any given time. Too much sugar could leave you feeling unwell leading to stomach problems during the ride. At this point the body only has one option to get rid of it…I think you get my point.
One of the great things of cycling in Mallorca and with expert guides helping you is that you will never be too far away from a café or a petrol station where you can re-fill the bottles or purchase some extra food to stuff in your jerseys pockets.
Our recommendation for fuelling is OTE Nutrition. They offer a great range of products which are kind on the stomach and taste fantastic. Plus you can order from us before you come to save weight on your baggage and collect on arrival.
